Despite recapturing a degree of previous excellence in the Test arena in the recent thrashing of India, England's one-day international approach continues to look outdated after another poor showing in Cardiff on Wednesday.

With a top-order of accumulators—not powerful strikers—Alastair Cook's men fell woefully short of the 295-run target, dismissed for 161 to be dealt a crushing 133-run defeat in a match influenced by the Duckworth-Lewis method.

As seen in many of England's recent 50-over clashes against Australia, the West Indies and Sri Lanka, the team's batting approach in Wales again felt stuck in a past era; the side's methods and personnel reflective of an outfit still playing with mentality belonging to a different decade.

A look at the composition of the team's top five reinforces that perception.

ODI Strike Rates for England's Current Top 5

Player

Strike Rate

Alastair Cook

77.98

Alex Hales

63.49

Ian Bell

76.03

Joe Root

79.34

Eoin Morgan

86.65

AVERAGE

76.70

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It must be acknowledged that the most powerful member of that group, Alex Hales, was on debut in Cardiff, meaning his strike rate isn't reflective of his ability after just one outing.

But even so, England are without an elite, rapid scorer (think Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell) among the established players of the team's top five.

Compare that with India.

In Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni's side has three players with strike rates hovering around 90.

Thus, there's an alarming firepower differential between India and England.

ODI Strike Rates for India's Current Top 5

Player

Strike Rate

Rohit Sharma

78.25

Shikhar Dhawan

89.01

Virat Kohli

89.82

Ajinkya Rahane

73.06

Suresh Raina

92.21

AVERAGE

84.47

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Yet, it's not just India who lead England in that regard.

Averaging the strike rates of the current top fives for each of cricket's major nations reveals just how sluggish the English top-order is in comparison with the world's leading teams.

Indeed, at 76.70, the quintet of Cook, Hales, Ian Bell, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan sit above only the top fives from Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for rate of scoring.

Average ODI Strike Rates for Current Top 5s

Team

Ave SR

New Zealand

101.35

South Africa

88.85

Australia

86.92

India

84.47

West Indies

80.62

Sri Lanka

79.85

Pakistan

77.61

England

76.70

Bangladesh

71.51

Zimbabwe

68.34

ESPN Cricinfo

Even when outliers such as New Zealand's Corey Anderson (strike rate of 159.39) fall back into line, and when Hales' rate of scoring inevitably rises, England will still be some distance from the sides currently occupying the top spots of the ICC ODI Rankings.

Indeed, England's rate of scoring across the last 12 months in one-day games only serves to further highlight the team's lack of power at the top of the order.

Sitting above only Pakistan from the eight dominant countries, Cook's men have been almost one run per over off the mark set by Australia.

Those extra 50 runs per innings explain why Australia currently rule the No. 1 spot in the 50-over format, while England languish at No. 5.

Average Run Rate in ODIs in Last 12 Months

Team

Ave RR

Australia

6.19

New Zealand

5.98

India

5.65

South Africa

5.44

West Indies

5.43

Sri Lanka

5.33

England

5.26

Pakistan

5.20

Bangladesh

4.99

Zimbabwe

4.47

ESPN Cricinfo

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Lacking the players capable of quickly shifting through the gears, it's also no surprise that England's performance in the Powerplays continues to be sub-standard.